Week #11: Feliz Natal

     Hazzit my people!  This week went by fast. Christmas was good, we worked.  It was pretty much a normal day, I'm super pumped to get all the mail from family!  I'll get it in about a week.

     It was so sweet talking with you guys, I'm glad you guys are doing good.  I didn't get an email from Keapo, but if you give me her e- mail I can write.



Felt good to sit in a car!  Too bad we can't use it!

     This week we had someone that wanted to give us a car.  Irmao Thomas, he told us,"you guys walk too much - -  take my car, it's yours."   But he was like serious, of course we said no.  However, people here will not stop at anything to give, they would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it.  



Turkey!  Best meal yet!

    




The lunch we had Christmas eve day was the best one we've ever had!  We actually knew what kind of meat it was, we had turkey.

     Oh Elder +=*&%$@ got transferred
:( idk where he went but he's not here anymore.

     Aye and you guys got to here my Portuguese, that was cool.  Nothing really new this week especially since we talked!  Same old - -  I will send pics right now.  Love you lots! 

Christmas Day Talk:

Love Modern Technology

Happy Mama!

•  Gained 8# in the CTM, has lost 7 of those 8 pounds. 
• Averages 8 - 10 miles a day on foot.  If an appointment cancels we will walk upwards of 12 miles that day.
• In the CTM there were some college football players - - they taught the missionaries some chants - - got us all going - - brotherhood!
• Elder Fernandez is my companion - - he is from Peru. He has worked his whole life, helping to support his family.  He is a beast.  I have learned most of my Portuguese from him, he is an excellent teacher.  I am also learning Spanish.  He asks me every night,  "Do you Deserve to Sleep?".  This means did I work hard and give the Lord my best.  If the answer is yes then I deserve to sleep.  If no, then I need to get up and work some more! 
• A Favela is a shanty type home, made of cardboard or tin.  When we track there we can't take anything with us but one paper back Book of Mormon.  No bags, no watches etc . . . this keeps us safe.
• We eat a lot of fruit.  When we have a lunch appointment cancel on us - - this is our lunch meal for the day - - we pray other food will be provided to us.  Many times fruit vendors will offer fruit as we are walking.  A tender mercy.
• Been on splits (trade companions for the day and work in a different area)  to Sumare - - 30 minute bus ride. 
• Funny story:  There was a man on the street - - he approached us.  He told us he needed to touch our faces.  I said, "No way man!"  My companion let him palm his face.  Elder Fernandez was getting uncomfortable - - I told the dude to let my companion go.  He said no while trying to touch me.  I told him no again and pulled his hand off of Elder Fernandez.  My companion was quite upset at this point!  As we walked away Elder Fernandez said, "as soon as he touched me I lost the spirit!" 



Braxton Hatch, Baylor Romney & Carlie

• Hearing Elder Akina speak Portuguese and bearing witness to the work was the highlight of our phone call.  Love this kid!

Erik Glover facing timing Elder Akina

The Bus!

 

Week #10 Nutella & Dogs!

Oiii Hazzit Everybody,

 

     Mom I did not get any packages yet. It´s okay though, I have something to open on Christmas!  On the plane ride over they gave us little like fun size Nutella to put on the scone things, but I saved it for a rainey day.  I have decided I will eat it with a piece of toast Christmas morning, it will be glorious.  I have waited 2 months to open that bad boy  - - ha ha. (box is sitting at the mission home - - arrived day after mission party - - dang it!)

      I can't wait to talk with you guys, its gunna be sweet.  Yeah our water turned back on, so we we're pretty stoked.  This week was good, the days are starting to go by fast.  The language is coming a long well.

 

Mom: Are those Bananas?
Elder Akina: Yes my companion made them - - there were amazing!

     My companion and I kicked our first dog this week!  Please let Bro. Pac know, he would be proud.  Ha - - ha but yeah, we were walking like next a bunch of cars on the side of the road and this like ugly Beagle looking dog (kinda like opihi) nah nah jk, but seriously, like comes out from under this truck and like lunges at my companion.  My companion used his bag as like a shield and the dog like jumped up to bite at him again!   The dog caught a heel like right to the chest, it fell on its back and then booked the other way ha - - ha!  It was pretty sweet.  I havent kicked one yet,  but I have the technique down if need be.

 

      We have 9 investigators, 3 of them are getting pretty close.  My shoes are good - - I like them a lot!  That's pretty much it for this week, teaching and walking.  Will send pictures.

 

Love you lots. tchau - - Elder Akina

Week #9 "Ele e o presente" He is the Gift

Hazzit minha familia!

 

    Yes, I remebered that I have an umbrella, but it gets to the point where it doesn´t even do anything cuz the wind blows super hard and the rain is so heavy it like doesn't make much of a difference ha ha.  But yeah, it rained super hard this week.  We didn't have water for 3 days - -  it sucked, we had to fill buckets up and carry them back to our place.  It all worked out.

    I'm about an hour and half away from the mission home, and it doesn't surprise me you can't find it on a map!  Ha - - ha it's kinda in the middle of no where!   We grocery shop at this little store that's probably about as big as a Circle K.  It's kinda hard cuz it literally has like nothing, so we rely super heavily on the members lunch.   Like if they cancel or something it like ruins our day cuz we hardly have anything at our place to eat.  I never thought I'd say this in my life - - but I actually miss Wal-mart!  We have a washing machine to do our wash but we don't have water still,  so we did our laundry by hand this week. 

 

     One of the other missionaries in the other companionship that got sent here with us is having a rough time, his name is Elder *@#%$, we were in the CTM together so we got here at the same time.  He's ready to go home, like he hates it here.  The President won't transfer him though, which is good. He needs to learn. This is a pretty hard area to start off in, so please pray for him.

 

     We have are big Christmas thing in Piracicaba, we leave here at 6 in the morning.  It's like an all day thing, so if the package got here I should get it tomorrow.  Oh and yes, we have been sharing the "He's the gift" thing, here its called "ele e o presente" and yeah we love sharing it with our investigators.

 

     Oh yeah, Mom I need you to send like recipies to me, like basic ones - -  but like that still taste good you know. Oh and do you wash ground beef?  My companion and I argued about this the other day for like 20 minutes, in the end we did it my way and didn't wash it but I'm still not sure ha - - ha!  So yeah please answer that.

 

     But any who,  we're still working hard.  We have like 3 investigators that are really progressing so were pretty stoaked about that.  That's pretty much it for this week,  I'll attach some pics right now.

 

Love you lots. tchau.

Elder Akina

 

 

 

 

 

 Caleb and Braxton preparing for their
UGLY Christmas Sweater party.

Sent this photo to Elder Akina, "Ahh, Sa-weet!  I miss those dudes!"

Investigator owns this chicken farm. 

 Much to Elder Akina's sisters heart ache, there are lots of stray dogs.

 "Soccer, it's the sport here - - basketball doesn't exist.  70 year old men still ball here!"

Neighbor - - he roams the streets!

Instagram at Lunch!

Carlie received an Instagram message at lunch today!  Love the technology!

 

Week #8 Mango Poop & The Box

Hazzit Minha Familia!!

     All is well here in Portal Bordon, Brazil, working hard.

 

     Mom the $118 dollar thing was to pick up my box!!!!  Thanks heaps.  After 6 buses and 2 days I finally got it.  Everyone in my district was dying to see what was inside because they knew I'd gone through outer darkness to get it.  Thanks.  

 

     I haven't gotten a notice that my Christmas one is here yet.  I will probably have to wait 'til the 18th, that's when we have this Christmas thing down in Piracicaba and where all the mail goes.  Yeah I'd say keep sending everything to the mission address because our specific address where I'm at is super sketchy with mail, plus we live on the back of a house in like this favela area and don't have like a mail box or like a front area to put it you know. So, yeah probs best to keep on doing it like this.  Whenever you send a package it has to be under 50 dollars or I will have to pay. 

 

     This week has been good, we've been teaching a bunch of people, the same lesson over and over ha - - ha!  The first one, the Resturation, this is the first time all these people have been taught.   It's nice because we will say "we are missionaries of LDS church blah - - blah, some refer to us as "Mormons" and they have never heard of us before.  So it's nice because they don't have this thought already in their head like,  "Oh you guys... yeah goodbye!"  Ha Ha, so that's pretty cool.

 

     This week my companion and I discovered a mango tree in like this field area right next to our house, so we have just been pounding the mangos!  Our bathroom literally smelt like mangos cuz they just go right through - - you know. 

 

     The tan lines are getting real too.  I have one from like my collar and my watch, I haven't gotten the one down the middle from the tie yet, but we will see. 

 

    Oh yeah - - mom I need daddy kirks address.  Also, send pictures I have gotten only one  - - what's up with that!?  Ha- - ha.  This week was pretty normal, just walking until you die. 

 

     Oh yeah, I had my first dream in Portuguese!  It wasn't fully in Portuguese, like I was in a classroom and everyone was speaking English and everything.  The teacher called on me and I answered in Portuguese. Ha - -ha it woke me up too, I was all excited!  The full Portuguese ones will come soon, I hope.  

 

     My companion loves the shoe shining kit!  Can you print more photos for my album?  Oh Mom, if you didn't send it in the Christmas box, can you hook it up with Chapstick please?

 

     That pretty much it for this week.  Love you lots if you see this right now, I'll be on for a little bit more.  Thanks for everything mom you're the bestest.

 

 

Tchau love you guys lots.

Week 7 Portal Bordon

     Hey Mom!!! Ha ha,  I'm safe!  Sorry, yeah dad was right - - I missed my P-day because of transfers. I didn´t get my box that you sent for me at the mission home, it is here in Brazil but I have to pay 260 reals to get it (130$), and I don't have the money.   It's okay I'll figure it out, ha ha I've been sleeping on a matress with no sheet and a pillow with not pillow case on it!  Apparently you fill out a form when you send a package to Brazil and when you do, if all the stuff amounts to over 50$ I will have to pay for it.  The President said be very general when you list stuff. (Money added to debit card - - go get the box!) 

     I'm doing great! I got assigned to open a new area, called Portal Bordon, with my companion Elder Fernandez.  It's hard work man.  When first got here we got home to an empty little 2 bedroom house.  All of the stuff came in the next day.  The area is sweet, man I love it, you walk a lot!  The members that live in the area are so cool too.  It's hard starting out in a new area because you don't have that many referrals, so you start from the ground up.  Street contacting and knocking doors, I love it! 

 

     There are some areas in the mission they're averaging 2 baptisms a week, but I like it better like this, so when your investigators do get baptized you can say I found them. We've been working hard and the people here are super cool, like you say you got a message about Jesus Christ - - they're all for it man.  

 

     When you get in someones house the first question is,  "you want juice? Let me go make juice!"  The first couple of times Id' say, "Oh, no thank you, we're good - -  but they don't listen. ha - - ha they will make sure you get juice!  We're not allowed to drink the water in this area - - but its kinda like dad in Venezuela when they make it for you, you drink it.  I've had diarrhea for like 4 days ha - - ha, just getting used to the food and water and stuff, nothing serious. Here we eat lunch with members, not dinner.  We don't even eat dinner, it's crazy how the mission works.  Like the other day we worked all day, had like an hour lunch then kept on going!  We got home at like 9:45 and I sat down on my bed and was like, dang my leg has been hurting all day, but you don't really notice cuz your always teaching and helping other people.

 

     We have made a ton of contacts and we'll set up an appointment with them, and a lot of people flake it's really annoying!  I think I've heard some of the craziest excuses this week then in like my whole life ha - - ha.  On Wednesday we had an appointment with a guy who we made contact with on the street, but he didn't live in our area.  We still took his address down and we got permission from the zone leader to go and teach him, 1 hour and 15 minute walk.  We find his house, he answers, we say - -  hey we're the missionaries remember us?  He says, yeah hey look guys I'm just not interested anymore, sorry and he closed the door.  My companion and I looked at each other, exhaled and we walked 1 hour 15 back, ha - - ha.  

 

     I love teaching and testifying in these houses and streets, the people get so excited when you tell them about Jesus.  Oh yeah,  you don't knock on doors, you clap outside them - - its kinda weird.  A lot of the houses don't have doors any ways.  There are 2 other missionaries that got sent with us to this new area, so it's divided Portal Bordon A and B. My companion is my trainer, he's from Peru, he's little.   He's been out 7 months and he speaks like perfect Portuguese, he's kinda small.  We work well together.

 

     The language is coming, people talk super fast I can understand if they slow down, but if they're talking fast I just try to pick out the words I hear and know then draw like a conclusion as to what they're saying.  I feel like I can talk way better then I can understand. But it's coming a long.

 

     Hope you guys had a good Thanksgiving, ha - - ha we didn't have one.  There's no such thing here, I didn't even realize it was Thanksgiving 'til my companion and I got home and were planning for the next day,  I saw the date in my planner.  I was like, "Oh, today was Thanksgiving - - ha ha.

 

     But all is well, just teaching and walking, and then more walking, ha- - ha.

 

I love you guys!!!  I'll send pictures in a separate e mail.  Tchau

On the streets of Portal Bordon - - loving the field!

Papa Pilimai this fa'i tree is for you!

Backyard of the missionary pad.

Should we be surprised?  He found a hoop!

 This is Elder Akina's Mom's favorite for the week!

He got pooped on by a very large BIRD!  They walk 30 minutes to church - - about

2 minutes from their destination the bird did a fly by! 

He had to turn around to change and then walk back to the chapel! 

 Elder Camacho in the CTM with Elder Akina. 

Hawai'i Elder  - - graduate of Kamehameha, knows our Anna and Tierre.

 Da Boys in the CTM 

 Temple grounds in Brazil 

Week 5 Sacrament Meeting Talk

Brazil Piracicaba Mission Map

     Hazzzit my pasoas! (people) So this is my last week here in the CTM and I am stoked to the max, I cant wait to leave.

     I had to give a talk this past Sunday, ha ha here in the CTM they announce who is speaking like in sacrament meeting, this past Sunday I left my bag with all my manuals and what not with my talk back in my room thinking I'm not gunna give a talk.  There are tons of people here, so I'm sitting in sacrament meeting and they talk super fast, so it was kinda hard to understand but then I hear an "Elder Akina"... and I was like this is not real life right now!  Ha ha!  So I got a scripture and talked about it a little and bore my testimony on it and I thought it went pretty good, it was like 4 minutes. It's just freaky cuz its in a different language.  One of the branch presidents pulled me aside after and was like, "you did that without anything written down huh?"  I was like, " yah."  He laughed and said, "you'll be amazed what the spirit will help you accomplish if you are always in tune with it", and i was like, "ha ha believe me i know!"

     We just got back from the temple, it was pretty sweet!  Its' getting pretty hot here.  Nothing that new this week though just more classes and devotionals and classes then food then classes. It's super crazy, there are all these brand new missionarys that are coming in every week and you say something in Portuguese to them they dont even know what to say back.  It felt like that was me like yesterday, time definatley went by fast here. 

     I think the next time I will get to email you guys it will be from the Mission Presidents house.  Oh mom stuff for the box that I need : office supplies, Chapstick, verb book and dictionary (Portuguese/English), floss.  Thanks heaps.

     Tell Carlie to start checking her mailbox at school I sent her a letter last week.  Send me pics mom, especially one of Carlie playing, also the one with me and Daddy Kanani in front of the hotel in Hawaii,  I'm in the red long sleeve hawaiian life guard shirt, and the one with me on the beach boogie boarding surfing etc. . . . I think I sent them to your phone while we were in Hawaii. 

 Thanks, love you lots Tchau

Bonus Second E-mail:

Mom to Elder Akina:
Eu te amo muito meu filho maravilhoso

 

com amor,

 

Sua mae.

Elder Akina's Response:

he-he da madda is learning Portuguese!!  Does this say, " I love you a lot my wonderful son, with love, mom.

Mom to Elder Akina:  Yes it does!

Week #4 Hitting the Streets

Sao Paulo

 

 Hey Mom!   The food is still super good, I dig it.  We only got 2 weeks then were out!  I'm pumped, I just want to get out in the field already!  My companion and I get a long, he's super spiritual and like quiet; not into anything I'm into so were pretty much the opposite, but we teach really well together.  I try to learn all I can from him. 

I'm glad Carlie was able to see you guys, make sure she didn't take any of my socks!!!! haha jk.  Tell Imua I love him and I guess Opihi too.

No I'm not getting letters from that place and I asked them if you put money or you got me stuff from there through that thing they do and they said no, so idk.

This week was super fun!  We went proselyting on Thursday and my companion and I tore it up!  They gave us 4 BOMs and we placed all of them in half an hour.  Haha - - we were terrified, you take a bus to downtown Sao Paulo and you're on your own.  We said a prayer before we started.  As we approached the first guy - - I was so nervous!   My companion and I worked it out to where I was the one with the intro like "hi, can we share a message about Jesus Christ with you" and intro the BOM and what its about.  So we walked up and I talked to him like perfectly, he said yeah and I got a little time, we had like a 10 minute convo with him!  I could understand his questions and I answered all of them.  He took the Book of Mormon and walked away!  My companion and I just turned, we looked at each other, and I told him, "if a month ago you told me I would be able to that I would not have believed you!".  

We did get rejected a lot though, we got a lot of,  "no its okay I believe in the bible"  or "sorry I'm working",  but it was all good.  It was so much fun.  

I've just been using my card so I don't really need the paper money, so it would help to just if anything put money on my card.  I don't know how much is on it so if you could get me my balance that would be nice. 

Tell everyone I love them, love you the mostest.

Elder Akina

Week 3 Pig Hooves & Chicken Hearts

October 30, 2014      
      I am sending another e-mail via the cookie place.  Some Elders with P-day on Friday are taking this out for me so you can get it. 

     Sadly, p-day has come to a close.  We ate at that Churrascaria and I ate so much!  These guys would just come by our table and just keep cutting different kinds of meat, I had every kind.  There was this soup, it had pig hooves but it was so good.  Elder Cummings and I loved it!  The chicken hearts were not that bad, they kind of tasted like shrimp to me. 

     We got two new roommates.  They're both Brasileros which is good because it forces us to speak more Portuguese. 

     We just got done teaching,  my companion and I read the schedule wrong;  so we had no lesson prepared.  We decided to freestyle it with no notes or anything and it was honestly one of the best lessons we every taught.  Our Portuguese was a little rough at some points but we figured it out.  We answered all the questions he had about the Word of Wisdom but this one we got stuck on.  We told him we we'd have his answer next time we met with him.  His question was, why do Mormons not drink coffee because of the caffeine, but they can drink like 10 cokes a day?  Ha-ha we were stumped!  We'll find his answer later tonight! 

     One of the Irmaos (teachers) asked me last night if I was excited for Halloween . . . and I was like, "Oh, it's Halloween?"  It's crazy how many things just don't matter when you're immersed in the missionary work!  I will miss Opihi in his pumpkin costume! 

November 5, 2014

     We just got back from the temple. This week has been very long, but I have learned a ton.  We have gotten like double the missionaries we have had this week, all of them Brasileros.  They're so funny.  We got these two new districts in our physical activity so the v ball games get pretty intense, with Brasileros tho, they'll just wait for the ball to get to them and use there feet haha!   We get a new sister in our Districto tonight so were all pretty pumped.

 

     My district has made a goal this past week to stay awake in all of the devotionals and conferences (which is the struggle because everything's in Portuguese) but I have developed a formula to stay awake in everything.  Before any leadership meeting or anything else, I drink 1 bottle of water like in 4 seconds. Then I have to go to the "Elder's Room" really bad right about the time I start to get sleepy or whatever so it keeps me up.  (Proud Mama moment!)

 

     I'm about to go to Chainey's so I'll check for your mail mom. I also need Carlie's address like to mail. Nothing really new and exciting, same thing pretty much everyday.  We have a sweet view from our room and we were looking out the window.   This plane was like out in the distance and Elder Jensen was like hey Elder Akina how far away you think that plane is.. I was like idk a mile... he was like nah man for you it's about 2 years!  Ha ha good laughs.

 

     I forgot to tell you guys a couple days ago an Elder Camacho left for the field.   Well, he is a Kamehameha grad and is good friends with Anna and Tierre, so let them know he and I were boys!   I got a pic with him,  I'll send it when I get out of here. 

 

     To the Packer Boys: When I get back I need to see Kade, Rand and Mont dunking on the regs, you too Rhet!  Be nice to your sister.  I'm proud of all you guys, and grateful for the opportunity I had to be amongst such fine young men.  You guys need to know Heavenly Father has blessed you with an awesome family.  Listen to your parents!  Your dad is seriously the coolest of the cools, he is one my hero's as I am sure he is one of yours.  I can't wait to come back and see how much you guys have grown. Much Love,  Elder Akina.

 

     Okay mom I'm going to try and send you another letter through the cookie place.  Give Imua a hug and Opihi a kick in the shorts for me.

 

     Love you dad,  thank you for your letters they are really what I need to hear.  Love you mom,  'till next week

 

Elder Akina

Week 2 in CTM

Hazzit!!  We just got back from the Sau Paulo temple.  It's a lot smaller then the one in Campinas but still super awesome.

This week was crazy, it feels like my brain is going to explode!  We have 3 hours of language instruction in the morning, then like teaching investigators. TRC (where we teach in these rooms with instructors who help us with what we could've said and how to say it and stuff.)  After that we get 3 more hours of language, then more preach my gospel classes.  We got this new Elder in our district Elder Jensen, he's awesome, so I'm not in a tripanionship anymore.  My companion is Elder Welch.

Yeah, i exercise everyday, we play volleyball against these Brazilians everyday and it gets intense.  The sister in our district, Sister Ostler played in high school and she like a beast setter.   I get ripped a new one by our physical instructor like daily because you're not allowed to hit, like they just want you to bump it over the net.   I tell myself to stop but then i just get these perfect sets on my left side so I kill it.  2 days ago I hit an Elder in the face with one and his glasses fell off and I got like this lecture about this is why we don't keep score and don't hit and stuff. (Hopefully we learn to be a bit more obedient!  Written by Elder Akina's Mom!)

Today we're going with another district to eat at a Churrascuria (sorry the spelling is a rough matter right now) that meat place where you just like eat until you die in your chair.  So I'm pretty pumped to the max about that.

Oh yeah, mom please do the Cheineys cookies thing, that would be awesome if you could. The guys is a member and he hooks it up with missionaries.  Did you send mail through there? Oh, I use my card some places so don't freak out when there's Brazil transactions or whatevs cuz its me.

We had an area 70 come speak to us at devotional but it was in Portuguese. Starting to follow some of it!  I'm kinda ready to leave the MTC,  the days are long, but I know I just gotta learn as much as possible.

I love you guys so much!  Tell the dogs whatsup for me.
Tchau

Wednesday is "P-Day" !

Oi!!! Hazzit everybody, whew this week has been crazy here in the CTM. There is noo english allowed here so it feels weird to even write in it.  We just got back from the campinas brasil temple, it was beautiful besides that fact the session was in Portuguese, I had to wake my companions up twice!

I am in a tripanionship which is more common here then companionships, it's weird i know. Elder Welch and Elder Cummings, They're both runners (but not that fast because i race them everyday and have yet to be beat) and they're super diligent, their prayers are like 15 minutes long; they can recite scriptures like nothing.  They're not that into sports, but they push me to be better and learn; that's all i need right now.

I have learned more Portuguese this week than Spanish those 3 years I took in high school.   I can bear my testimony, pray and carry on like a solid convo. I definatley have a testimony of the gift of tongues, it is a real thing and helps missionarys everywhere.  I sit with these Brasileros at lunch and they are so funny, but Brasilian people are different than Americans.  They don't do sarcasm, like you do or say something sarcastic, they don't get that type of humor.  Everyone's left arm is darker then their right because when they drive they hang it out the window ha ha.

We are teaching an investigator right now by the name of Erik, and I teach tonight, it will be our 4th discussion with him.  It's all in Portuguese, the first 2 lesson were pretty rough, but the third one was great.  I got to bear my testimony (for the first time other than practicing it) to him and the spirit was definatley strong in the room.  He's one of those MTC investigators but it's just like the real thing.

Everyone is scared to play me in basketball, we have zone sports with the Hispaico district (everyone from Chile, Dominican Republic, etc.) and I've played all the guys and no one will play me again!!  They know 1 nba players name so whenever they see me in between classes they'll be like Lebron!!! 

All the missionaries are suuper cool, and funny. The MTC is so stressful, though we're getting ready to go proseliting on the streets in Sao Paulo in about a week.  My companions and I are pretty pumped about that.  The food here is good, its all Brazilian food.  My companions hate it so they just give what they don't eat to me ha ha. 

Well I gotta go, it's P day so we get go out on the streets to shop and eat.  We're hitting up a Churrascaria today, it's like a meat buffet!  

I'll write next week, love you lots mamma, you tooo dad. 

Tchau, oh and the blue dot is what they call the dork dot, first weekers get it.  

First day in the MTC

October 14, 2014 Checking into the CTM 



The Adventure Begins!

Haazzit my people! Im in the MTC, but here its actually called the CTM because of the way they speak. The flight was long, but the guy sitting next to me was super cool, it turned out he was very familiar with the church and he was amazed at what they ask of us missionaries at such a young age. Over here people drive crazy, theyll have like 2 adults and a kid sitting on someones lap on the same moped lane splitting like nothing haha. I am still currently locked out of my suitcase so i should probably look into that. When they came to pick all of us up there were like 10 of us coming from all over packed into this little Brazil travel van. I got some sweet pics too, but were not aloud send them here at the mtc. I still cant find the apostrephe button on this keyboard, its in portegese haha i guess ill figure it out. Okay I love you all. Ill email next week, sorry we only get like 5 min. to email this time just to let your family know you made it. Give everyone my e-mail.  Love you guys.

Elder Welch from Omaha, Nebraska flew with Elder Akina from Atlanta to Brazil. 

They will be serving in the same mission.